


Pain Is In The Mind

by withinmelove



Category: Inception (2010), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Feels, Gen, His Last Vow Spoilers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 07:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8392732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withinmelove/pseuds/withinmelove
Summary: In the episode His Last Vow after Sherlock is shot Molly, Mycroft and Moriarty aren't just figments of Sherlock's mind palace. They are the projections planted in his mind by those three to save him from dying in just such a circumstance as this one.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaseyKat09](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaseyKat09/gifts).



> This unedited so commas will not exist in their proper places. I hope this doesn't make the story too unbearable to read.
> 
> (The emotional pain I promise you Casey.)

Sherlock has trained his mind for an incident like this. A fatal wound by the criminal he is chasing. It’s to be expected with his job and his reckless disregard for his own life. He’s planned for every possible outcome but this one. There was never reason to believe that the mortal blow would be struck by the hand of his best friend’s wife. 

Sherlock’s consciousness retreats at once back into his mind palace seeking help. This is more than his body can handle and he desperately scrabbles for his safety net. Molly is the first one to respond no longer a timid little mouse. No, she rises and becomes her own sentient being. She is not his creation this projection implanted by Molly herself. 

A burst of pain – she has slapped him hard across the mouth to get him to pay attention.

“You’re most certainly going to die.”

 _He must calm himself – he must calm himself._ Anything to stop the shock from the bullet wound from setting in. Panic makes his fingers and toes turn cold and tingle when it becomes clear Redbeard isn’t enough. His beloved and most precious memory isn’t enough to save him. Sherlock is falling backwards the silky fur of Redbeard slipping from his grasp. 

It’s the level closest to limbo where Sherlock has imprisoned Jim. This projection he has put into chains and strait jacket. He seeks the only man he’s seen never feel pain. The only one with perfect control over everything. Sherlock’s weak legs give out from under him shooting pains spreading across his chest. 

\--  
_  
It was the sharp green eyed man named Cobb who taught Sherlock the concept of a mind palace. One for his conscious mind to perfect his memory retention and one below the surface populated with his deepest memories. The unconscious mirrored topside in all but one detail._

_“You’ll retreat to your mind palace when your defenses are being attacked. You’ll want to make it so big your enemies could wander for years and be lost – though that won’t be hard for you, will it?”_

_Their footsteps rang out against the marble amplified by the cavernous ceiling. They were in the church that his mother loved. Clear was Mr. Cobb’s disturbance at how well Sherlock blended his reality and dreams. He could feel the man’s eyes upon him as he stopped Sherlock turning back to him._

_“You may not want to wake up after you’ve made your mind palace. You’re making it a new reality.” It almost sounded like accusation in his voice._

_Sherlock shook his head._

_“It won’t be an issue, Mr. Cobb. I’ve kept something out of my dreams that will assure me I’m sleeping. Its absence will be my totem.”_

_Cobb eyed him expression unreadable seeming to think something over before he nodded and they continued with their stroll. If he was a prying man he would ask what the missing item was. Fortunate that Mr. Cobb was paid enough to feel no curiosity at all._

__  
\--

However, it didn’t matter that Mycroft is his caustic self. Or that Molly has become fierce even Anderson’s lack of being irritating doesn’t make the fact it’s a dream apparent. 

There is no John. 

\--

John who has not been allowed to enter Sherlock’s mind. Molly, Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade and Anderson have left pieces of their projections. Sentinels to watch and guard him. Punishing when they need to be to keep Sherlock afloat. The core of them unchanged by his mind no matter the forms they wear. 

Even Moriarty can claim the privilege. 

A deal with the devil it had been to allow Jim within the still under construction palace, but the price had to be paid. A shock when Jim had not played any tricks. The excuse was that now he could torment him from the inside out when he couldn’t physically be there. Sherlock let the flimsy excuse stand. 

What Jim didn’t count on was his projection needling Sherlock with the exact reason he needed to live. A cause to fight off death and its cold hand quieting his feverish brain. 

Sherlock doesn’t believe he is truly alive until he sees John at his bedside. The doctors and nurses who move around the room are insignificant. It’s John’s beautiful frightened face that confirms reality.

**Author's Note:**

> This is rough because I wrote it in a couple of hours. It's been the first piece that I felt really motivated to write. The past month my writing spark has diminished. However, my sudden urge to rewatch the scene where Sherlock gets shot in _His Last Vow_ made me realize I could weave in my other true love Inception! I could barely keep up with how excited I was to put this down on paper. 
> 
> I'll play around with the idea of John at last getting to enter Sherlock's dreams and mind palace.


End file.
